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First severe weather of the season blows through metro

Heavy rain and large hail pelted the metro area tonight, triggering a tornado warning that led thousands to seek cover.
A tornado warning and golf-ball sized hail interrupted a Twins game at Target Field in Minneapolis. Officials moved people into the concourse areas and waited for just over an hour for the storm to pass.

The National Weather Service received a report of 2.5-inch hail in St. Louis Park Tuesday evening. Large hail also was reported east of Mille Lacs, west of Elk River and in north Minneapolis.

A trained spotter reported a tornado touching down near St. Michael, about 30 miles northwest of Minneapolis at 7:59 p.m. The tornado lifted up a garage roof and knocked down a fence, Wright County Sheriff's officials said. No one was injured. Other spotters reported funnel clouds in and around the Hopkins area earlier in the evening.

The tornado warnings in parts of Hennepin, Anoka, and other counties raised concerns that a tornado could touch down in a densely populated area, but the storm weakened in the Twin Cities by 9 p.m.